Apple's Thunderbolt Cable Is Fast, Possibly Overpriced

Apple's recently released Thunderbolt cable has a transceiver chip on both of its ends, dubbing it as an active cable, thus justifying its high cost, it has been revealed.

According to tech website Apple Insider, the two metre long Thunderbolt cable, which is compatible with the latest ports on company's new age MacBook Pros and iMacs, is actually an active cable incorporated with firmware active chips. The cable, which has been priced at $50, has been criticised by users for being too expensive.

Discussion of the cable was instigated by a hint left by tech website Mac World that read "Unlike ordinary passive cables that can be used at lower data rates, the unprecedented speed of the new Thunderbolt technology places unique demands on the physical transmission media."

In response to the query by the website, chief executive of iFixit, Kyle Wiens revealed that the Thunderbolt cable hosts two transceiver chips made of Gennum GN2033 that aid in maintaining its dramatically high speeds.

The cable which was released along with other peripherals by Promise also consists of many other small chips along with a large number of resistors, making it a smart cable with incorporated firmware.